Supermarket Becomes First in UK to Replace Single-Use Plastic Bags With Compostable Alternative

British retailer Co-op has unveiled plans to ban single use plastics and replace roughly 60 million plastic bags with environmentally friendly equivalents.

Under the plans, announced Saturday, lightweight and compostable carrier bags will be introduced to nearly 1,400 Co-op Food shops in areas where compostable bags can be used in food waste collections. They will cost shoppers 5 pence (7 cents) each.

All of Co-op’s own-brand packaging will “become easy to recycle” by 2023, while all own-brand black and dark plastic packaging will be scrapped by 2020. Co-op has also pledged to use a minimum of 50 percent recycled plastic in bottles, trays, punnets and pots by 2021.